frequently asked questions

crooked teeth

Causes gum disease - Developing periodontal, or gum, disease is a common ramification of crooked teeth. Gum disease develops when bacteria in our mouth forms into plaque. The problem accentuates when your gums don’t fit securely around your teeth, leaving more room for bacteria to grow.

Creates difficulty cleaning teeth - Toothbrush bristles and floss have a difficult time reaching the nooks and crannies between crooked teeth, which can lead to bacteria growth.

Creates tooth wear - Crowded bottom teeth often cause one or more teeth to protrude, which can rub against your upper teeth. Over time, this can lead to undue wear of tooth enamel.

Increases risk of tooth injuries - Protruding upper teeth are more likely to chip or crack in the event of an accident.

Creates chewing difficulties - Protruding upper and lower teeth may rub together in a way that prevents normal jaw alignment, making it difficult to chew.

Causes bad breath - As bad as crooked teeth look, they can smell even worse. Unless you’ve just eaten an onion, bad breath is generally caused by lingering mouth bacteria, which can be difficult to eradicate from in between crooked teeth.

Damages self-esteem and happiness - Several studies have indicated that a better looking smile increases the amount you smile, which can lower stress and improve cognitive ability. Having crooked teeth may reduce your confidence in your smile, thus reducing how much you show your pearly whites.

Decreases overall health - Few people realize that dental issues can seriously affect more than just their oral health. Studies by the ADA have proven that oral infections caused by bacteria buildup may lead to more serious ailments, including heart disease, stroke, diabetes and pneumonia.

PORCELAIN VENEERS

Porcelain veneers allow for a complete smile transformation in only a few weeks time. They are a very conservative procedure, as the veneer simply covers the front and top of the tooth, making minimal tooth preparation necessary.

With veneers, we can straighten slightly crooked teeth, whiten dark or stained teeth permanently, correct peg laterals and close spaces between teeth. As opposed to orthodontic treatment, which can take months or years to achieve straight teeth, a complete veneer procedure takes only a few weeks. Also, the porcelain used is both strong and color stable and won’t yellow over time, making it durable and esthetic.

View some of Dr. Brazeal’s work with porcelain veneers in the Before and After Gallery

​PORCELAIN CROWNS

Porcelain crowns are often needed to fix a broken or damaged tooth. When a tooth breaks or has a very large existing filling with a cavity, a crown is needed to restore and protect the tooth from further fracture. Also, when a tooth has had a root canal, it is weakened and more brittle and likely to break, so a crown is needed to strengthen and protect the tooth from the forces of chewing.

A crown completely covers the top and sides of the tooth, providing both protection and support to the tooth. Porcelain comes in a variety of tooth-colored shades; Dr. Brazeal and you together will select the ideal shade for your crown.

Also, porcelain crowns are not all the same material, either. Different types of porcelain are chosen for their different strengths and esthetics. For front teeth, a more esthetic porcelain is chosen to provide a more life-like crown. Unfortunately, the most esthetic crowns are not the strongest. Therefore, for molars which endure the highest forces in the mouth, often a stronger porcelain is chosen, while esthetics is not as high a priority. These molar crowns are still tooth-colored and match the adjacent teeth; however, they are also strong enough to stand up to the forces of biting for many, many years.

For front teeth, we often choose IPS e.max crowns, which provide a wonderful blend of esthetics as well as excellent strength. These crowns, which contain no metal, are composed of lithium disilicate, which has the translucency of enamel with excellent strength to biting when bonded to the tooth. In fact, for some patients who have no clenching or grinding habits, these crowns can even be used on the molars.

For most molar crowns, especially on patients who clench or grind their teeth, our crown of choice is an all-zirconia crown, such as BruxZir (view video). These crowns also contain no metal and have superior strength and almost unbreakable. Therefore, a BruxZir crown is an excellent combination of strength and tooth-colored esthetics to handle the forces of mastication imparted on the molars.

View some of Dr. Brazeal’s work with porcelain crowns in the Before and After Gallery